ComplaintsforRiccis Landscape Management

• Initial Complaint

  07/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On June 13th (I believe) RLM came out to fertilize my lawn and ended up burning a large area and killing the grass. I reached out on June 15th for someone to come take a look/fix it and was told to send them pictures so they can give it to the manager. I reached out again on July 5th after not hearing anything and was told a tech would be out that week. I continued to reach out and have been "canceled" on because the techs aren't out applying because of weather (heat or rain). When asked what weather has to do with looking at and repairing my lawn I cannot get an answer other than a tech needs to come out. I have followed up on July 12th, 15th, and 19th of July with no resolve.

  Business response

  08/03/2022

  Dear *****,

  First and foremost, we are terribly sorry that there was damage to your turf during  a fertilization application. I have personally been talking with you this past month and I realize you have been frustrated. Being in the Landscape industry, we are often at the mercy of the weather. Rain and the head index play a big role in our applications. Due tot extreme heat the past month along with the holiday weekend, we had many days that we could not apply anything to lawns, which meant, our turf technicians were not in your area. Clearly all of these things combines, most likely made you feel like you were not valued. For that, I do offer our sincere apologies on behalf of RLM, Inc. 

  The fertilization technician you spoke with initially, Al, has been in contact with your wife. We were at your home on 7/21 for the repair. We provided a print out with watering instructions for the newly placed dirt and seed. 

  Because July temperatures fluctuate and we usually wait until fall for seeding, I want to make it perfectly clear that if the new seed we applied on the 21st does not germinate, we will be happy to put you on the schedule for fall aeration and seeding of the damaged area. 

  My name is *********************** and I am the Director of Service, I'm happy to help you through the process of this repair. Please stay in touch so I can find out if you are having any new growth. Germination takes 2-4 weeks. In the meantime, due to you being inconvenienced, I'd like to offer you complimentary Mosquito Control for the rest of the season or a Liquid Aeration treatment with Round 5 of fertilization. Please let me know how you would like to proceed. 

  Kind regards,

  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They were hired to do a clean up, mulch and initial ***************** treatments.... followed by subsequent chemicals, mowing and weeding. They did not dig out the beds as discussed and just put the new mulch on top of the old stuff in the beds. Resulted in a large amount of mounding which looks horrible not to mention not great for the plants in the beds. In addition the crew was here for about 8 hours total and they double billed the same time both for mulching and clean up. Point being they charged for 16 hours of work when they were here for eight hours. The quality of the clean up was horrible with much of the edging being done poorly or not at all. In regards to the weeding.... it looked like it was not weeded at all in the mowing and weeding visits we had. The communication is horrible, traded emails with the customer service person, who said would get back to me in a day, several emails from me and a week latter I get back a non-responsive reply that does not address the issue. Bottom Line - The quality of the work is horrible, the communication poor, and the billing dishonest. Have an extensive email trail and photos to document the above.

  Business response

  08/03/2022

  Dear ****,
  While we recognize that you are frustrated, we feel the complaint you filed with the BBB is inaccurate and missing a lot of detail.
  We originally spoke on March 25th, 2022 and we sent you information on our programs and services including our specification sheet, turf specification sheet, and terms and conditions.
  The same day we replied to you letting you know that we were on a waiting list for cleanups and were about a month out. I also let you know that all clean-ups and Mulch are performed on a time and material basis and the estimate provided would be for a crew of three at your home all day (which would be 30 total man hours) and 10 cubic yards of mulch. The estimate provided was actually LESS than what the final bill turned out to be.
  Later that day, you replied to the email requesting the following services: mowing, Spring Clean up, Weeding, Mulch, Fall Clean up,Fall Aeration / Overseeding, Fertilization, and Mosquito Control.
  The Clean up and Mulch job was completed on April 15th,2022. You did not contact us until May 6th, 21 days after the service, to voice your complaints. You also mention that you wanted trees cut back and a tree removed, this was never discussed prior to our visit and our description clearly states that Spring clean ups do not include pruning. At this time you also attached 89 photos which automatically caused the email to be delivered to a spam folder, thus the reason we did not respond immediately.
  On May 13th you cancelled all services and gave us permission to use the card on file to pay for everything except the mulch labor which you claimed was double billed and that as soon as we can speak and reconcile the open item, you would take care of any open charges.
  On May 19th you again made it clear that you wished to cancel services and said that we applied weed killer to your lawn,this never happened. We only applied weed killer to the landscape beds as requested. You again stated that you would send a check once we reviewed the billing. On the same day I responded to your email with the following information:
  Thank you for taking the time to explain your reasons for not being satisfied with the service provided by RLM, ****
  
  With all due respect, by no means were you being ignored. When a customer sends in a complaint, we have homework. We pride ourselves on knowing the value of a complaint as it always helps us improve. This being said, we have to take appropriate steps to reach solutions. This involves reviewing paperwork,checking GPS tracking, talking to crew members, etc. It is not something that happens instantaneously.
  
  Had you let us know you were unhappy directly after the service was performed, we most likely could have taken care of any problems that you had. However, you are providing photos that are over a month old, and we have had a tremendous amount of rain since then. Your photos clearly show wash out in corners as well as growth to trees that have clearly sprouted since we were there over a month ago.
  
  Our specification sheet and terms and conditions clearly state that:
  If you are given an estimate for any of our time and material services, this is an estimate only, not a contract. Estimates are subject to change based on the actual time and material used on a job.
  Cleanup/Mulch, Pruning, Color Program, and Irrigation project visits are all done on a time and material basis. If we have historical data on your property, we will provide a verbal estimate, however the     job itself will be billed on a time and material basis.
  All disputes on invoices must be addressed within 10 days of the date of service.
  
  To answer some of your other concerns:
  
  Billing You were not double billed. I sent you an estimate for your spring cleanup and mulch when we first spoke on 3/25. The estimated cost for the combined projects was less than the estimated amount. Not only was it less than the estimated amount, but the time also matches with our GPS in our truck tracking software. You were not billed for any breaks that the crew took while on your property.
  
  Weeds in turf -
  
  This is the reason you hired us in the first place is because your turf was in poor condition. We had ONE visit with you on 4/12/22.I have attached the notes which were printed on the back of your invoice and left on your door. The technician stated that you are in need of aeration and overseeding this fall. This will help with all those bare areas you have along the edges as well as the bare spots, which is where weeds love to grow.
  We had an in-depth conversation about this when we first spoke. RLM, **** uses quality products that work together over a period of time. Certain weeds germinate in the fall and if you did not have the proper weed control in the fall and winter, you will have weeds in the spring. The products we applied on 4/12/22 are to target broadleaf weeds that germinate in the spring. Because you just started fertilization with us this year, you had no winter post-emergent, and had one treatment with RLM, it is not surprising that you still have weeds. Fertilization and weed control takes time, one application does not rid your lawn of weeds and bare spots, that is unrealistic. Being an RLM, **** client enters you into a partnership. Keeping your turf healthy is both of our jobs. Had you decided to stay with us, we would have been onsite on the dates provided to you in the turf specification sheet we emailed to you on 3/25. As we explained to you over the phone, when a lawn is in poor condition, it takes time to get healthy again.
  
  Having been in business for 28 years and being well known as a trusted local provider, we pride ourselves in excellent service however, I think it is a fair assumption that we are not the company to meet your expectations, but we do appreciate the opportunity and wish you the best of luck with your new provider.
  
  As of right now, invoices remain unpaid and are due upon receipt of this email:
  
  
  Despite this explanation, you did not pay your invoice. In July, you received an automated message from our software reminding you that your invoice was outstanding and about to be turned over to collections.
  On July 14th, you responded with an email which can only be described as threatening and intimidating. Due to the threatening nature of your email, RLM, **** has hired an attorney to correspond with you,should you wish to cooperate with them and discuss any matters you may have amicably.
  We always appreciate an opportunity to work with local homeowners and we are sorry that RLM, **** was not the right fit for you and your property.
  Regards,
  RLM, ****

  Customer response

  08/05/2022

  I am rejecting this response because:

  It's non-responsive and full of inaccuracies, out of context statements, etc.

  After I started posting reviews, I received a letter from RLM atty, citing all kinds of things in the ******* code which are out of context and in my opinion don't apply.  For example claiming intimidation.  The only intimidation was their threatening a collection agency / my credit to get me to pay the disputed bill.    

   

  They have an atty, and now so do I.

   

  The atty's can do their thing unless RLM wishes to make this right.

   

  As I wrote to their atty, an amicable solution would certainly be preferable to the litigation that looks like is coming down the road.

   

  Any time they wish to refund the payment they extorted from me,  this issue can be resolved.

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  
  

  Business response

  08/17/2022

  Dear *****************,
  We are sorry that you reject our response and instead ask that we repay you, for a service which we professionally provided, and for which you already paid.
  We disagree that you were threatened to pay. In fact, we had several verbal conversations and emails prior to the automated message, in which you said you would pay, but never did. Once you received an automated message from our software, that is sent to every client that has a past due balance, is when you paid your invoice.This is not extortion; it is standard company policy, with most companies.
  Our automated email states:
  To our regret, you have not replied to our previous emails,letters, an/or email reminders regarding your past due account. There comes a time in handling a delinquent account when we have no recourse but to refer it to a collection agency. When this happens, we both lose. We lose your goodwill,and a valued customer. You lose a valuable credit reference, and the convenience of a worthwhile service. We hope that you will agree with us that this matter is worth your serious and immediate consideration. If we do not receive your payment, we will be forced to send your account to a collection agency.
  We would like to be perfectly honest with you and any other readers here, ****. You did not receive a letter from our attorney regarding your opinion, you are welcome to your opinion.
  You received a letter from our attorney because despite our explanation of pricing (which you agreed to in advance), our terms and conditions (which you violated), and providing copies of our GPS tracking software which verified time spent on the property;you proceeded to write a letter to RLM, **** which we found threatening.
  Due to the tone of your letter, (which we will respectfully not share with future reviewers/readers) and the fact that we were told to be prepared to see you in court, we turned the matter over to our attorney.
  ****, the fact remains that RLM, **** provided services, which you agreed to, at prices which were provided to you in writing in advance. The services were invoiced under the quoted price. You paid less than your quoted price.
  While our team takes every complaint seriously, and 99.9% of the time, management will use the complaint as a learning tool to better our staff, to better our crews,and to better our staff/client relationships. Most of the time, a complaint can turn into a positive relationship, the opportunity to improve communication,and a lesson. There comes a point however, where it is evident that certain complaints are more about proving a point, no matter which path is chosen, it will lead to dispute.
  As a local provider for over 28 years, we pride ourselves on being a well-known and trusted provider in the Landscape Industry. We stand by what we mentioned in a previous correspondence
  It is a fair assumption that we are not the company to meet your expectations, nor are we a company that handles intimidation by giving in to threatening demands.  We appreciate you paying your invoice and while we always appreciate the opportunity to work with local homeowners, we are sorry that RLM, **** was not the right fit for you and your property.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩